Why Does a Young Penguin Stick Its Head in Its Mother's Mouth?

Almost all young birds get their food directly from their mother, and the penguin is no exception. But the mother penguin not only provides her young with food, she partially digests it for them too!

The mother penguin swims through the frigid waters of the Antarctic searching for the fish and shrimp that penguins like to eat. But instead of saving some of the catch for her young, the mother penguin swallows it all.

No, she is not being greedy, for she then returns to her children, opens her bill, and coughs up some of her last meal. The young penguins stick their bills inside their mother's C) mouth and eat the predigested food.

Baby penguins are able to care for themselves when they are only 6 months old!